Last night we had the privilege of sharing the company of some of Ireland’s finest athletes in an intimate session in the Leinster Hotel pulled together by Sinéad Galvin of Galvin Sports Management.
If this was a taster of how #TeamGSM can expand the reach of the athletes whose careers she supports and assists then we are fully signed up for the main course.
Rhys McClenaghan, Ciara Mageean, Orla Comerford, Sophie Becker and Thomas Barr would be a great line up on any team sheet and each of them was there last night telling stories, sharing moments and revealing their character in a way that so few of the public ever get to see.
They were guided through their different experiences by Ellen Keane, taking a step herself into sitting on the other side of a microphone.
She was a rare talent in the pool and if this is what she can do on a debut appearance then she is carrying that through into the post Paralympic world.
We see it on RTÉ screens when David Gillick’s understanding and empathy with athletes makes for great TV and that is what we had last night as well.
No notes, just feeling and a sense of when to prompt and when to let the story flow led to a pitch perfect session where emotion was rarely far from the surface.
Ciara Mageean has an incredible warmth and a connection to people from every walk of life. Every minute in her company is sixty seconds to savour.
I feared that Orla Comerford would be off the bill, competing as she is at the European Indoor Athletics on Sunday night but it takes more than a flight and competition schedule to knock her out of stride and her enthusiasm for LA’28 was a joy.
Thomas Barr’s infectious sense of fun is the same off the track as it is on screen and while he has stepped away from the track now he will not be a stranger in the public eye.
Sophie Becker was open and honest about the thrill of the Olympics and the pain of a stress fracture, walking away in tears from track sessions twice at the end of last year but then being told that she was not allowed do it a third time, shaking herself down and getting right back at it.
And then there was Rhys. Taking time out between dance practice for Dancing With the Stars and showing us a raw, human side, paying tribute to his coach Luke Carson who spotted something in a “very mediocre self taught 14 year old learning routines from YouTube” into a European World and Olympic Champion.
It was a very special night and it could be a very special opportunity for businesses to put on a client or a staff event with these wonderful human beings that will create a much longer lasting impression than a fine dinner or any of the other multiple ways we come together.
Further Reading for Sport for Business members: Sport for Business in Conversation with Ciara Mageean
SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
Elite sport is about doing the fundamentals right and then adding layers of fine tuning. The base that TeamGSM is coming from leaves us in no doubt they will be Champions of this new world every bit as much as they have been on the track, in the pool and in the gym.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
The European Indoor Athletics Championships are on at the moment. Check out Irish competion times in our Daily Guide to the best of Sport on TV and Streaming.
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